Separable Verbs Don’t Have to be Logical

I like comics that feature grammarians, though I think he’s overdoing it a bit here.

“Tie up” and “tie down,” for example, are both idiomatic, and they have different meanings, but neither is exactly precise.

Can you think of any other separable verbs that technically don’t make sense? Put your list in the comments.

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In case you’re not inclined to look up those old posts: They’re about grammar goofs written by scientists. Or science journalists.

The verb I’m thinking about is “to blend in.” Do we have an adverb for it? Well, here’s the pattern I’ve seen in this situation. Last panel.

How would you say it? What verbs can you think of to change into adverbs?

Use the past perfect when something ends in the past, not merely happened in the past. This guy should have used the past perfect! Last panel.

“I wish I had known,” not “I wish I knew,” because the knowing could end in the past, and the simple past implies the knowing is still happening. Too late!

I’ve saved my neck countless times by developing the habit of proofreading everything before I press Send.

One of the documents I send out to requesters (see the column on the right) emphasizes proofreading.

If you want me to preach to you more about this, use the instructions on the right to request my essays.